Cheechoo lifts Sharks over Kings in shootout

Mar 15, 2009 - 5:35 AM
SAN JOSE, California (Ticker) -- Evgeni Nabokov returned to San
Jose's lineup and immediately made an impact, stopping 23 shots
in regulation and overtime and six of seven shootout attempts.

No big deal for the All-Star goalie.

"The guys really made it easier for me," Nabokov said after the
Sharks' 2-1 victory over Los Angeles on Saturday night. "I
didn't have to face a lot of shots. I felt good right off the
bat."

Jonathan Cheechoo scored in the seventh round, and Nabokov
stopped Teddy Purcell on the final attempt to give the Sharks
the victory.

Nabokov missed the previous seven games because of an upper-body
injury. The Sharks were 2-5 while Nabokov was sidelined.

"He was zeroed in," Sharks coach Todd McLellan said. "When he
was tested he was very sharp."

Milan Michalek scored in regulation, and Joe Pavelski added a
shootout goal to help the Sharks snap a two-game home losing
streak.

Wayne Simmonds scored for Los Angeles, and Jack Johnson had a
shootout goal.

"He played great," Sharks defender Dan Boyle said about Nabokov.
"He came through in the shootout and he's the reason we won the
two points."

The Sharks opened the scoring when Michalek redirected a pass
from Pavelski from the top of the crease at 5:28 of the first
period. Simmonds tied it 41 seconds into the second, slipping
the puck past Nabokov off a rebound.

Erik Ersberg made 38 saves for Los Angeles. The Kings dropped
their sixth straight on the road and fifth in a row to the
Sharks.

"We played very well," Kings coach Terry Murray said. "Coming
into San Jose at 3 in the morning from Vancouver and coming out
with that kind of performance, it was as good as they can play."

Ersberg stopped two point-blank shots in the final 12 seconds of
regulation. Patrick Marleau came from behind the net to try and
sneak the puck in, and Rob Blake tried to lift the puck over
Ersberg's glove.

"We hung in there," Ersberg said. "It was anybody's game. If we
play like this over the last 14, we can make things
interesting."

The Sharks opened the overtime with 1:43 left on a power play.
Ersberg stopped Blake's slap shot 1:07 into the extra period.